Applying to a Graduate Program

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Application Information

Thank you for your interest in graduate study at Michigan State University! The application process generally requires the following two steps.

1. MSU Graduate Application: Please complete the on-line Application for Graduate Studies. You will be required to pay an application fee and provide both an Academic Statement and a Personal Statement. Please follow the guidelines below when completing your statements:

- Academic Statement Guidelines

- Personal Statement Guidelines

As part of this online application you will be provided a MSU applicant number - please record this number for use in the second step of the application process described below.

2. College of Engineering Graduate Application: Please complete the on-line College of Engineering application, which is found on the College of Engineering Graduate Information Management System (GIMS). You will need to wait at least 48 hours after completing step 1 before you will be able to complete step 2, and you will need the MSU applicant number provided in step 1.

GIMS allows you to inquire about the status of your application at any time, and many departments will ask you to use GIMS to obtain letters of recommendation electronically. Each department has slightly different admissions requirements, and not all departments use GIMS in the same way. Please refer to the following websites for detailed admissions and application information for specific graduate programs:

In filling out the two on-line applications, it is imperative you provide a correct and working email address since almost all correspondence is conducted via email.

If you encounter any difficulties in GIMS, please contact the Graduate Program Secretary in the department you are applying to.

Application Deadlines

Since the application deadlines are set by individual departments, please consult the web site of your department of choice for that information. For fall semester admission, a good target date to keep in mind for application deadline would be mid-December.